Yerbol Absalyamov, Executive Director of the Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence (ISSAI) at Nazarbayev University, participated in a live broadcast of the national television program “Ashyq Alan” on Qazaqstan TV. The episode named “Kazakhstan in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” focused on Kazakhstan’s ambitious vision for developing its digital future through artificial intelligence.
Joining the discussion were other key national experts in the field, including Alibek Sailanbayev, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Artificial Intelligence and Innovation Development, Danabek Kaliazhdarov, IT specialist and advisor to the CEO of Astana Hub, Alisher Satybaldiev, Member of the Senate of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Bekbolat Medetov is an Associate Professor at the Department of Radio Engineering, Electronics, and Telecommunications of the Faculty of Physics and Technology at L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University.
The panel explored critical topics surrounding Kazakhstan’s AI strategy, including the launch of the region’s first supercomputer with a capacity of 2 exaflops, the development of the national Kazakh Large Language Model (KazLLM), and the forthcoming opening of the international AI center Alem.ai in 2025.
During the discussion,Yerbol Absalyamov explained the mission of ISSAI and shared insights on ISSAI’s role in creating KazLLM — the first large language model that understands Kazakh, Russian, English, and Turkish. Trained on 150 billion tokens, KazLLM serves as a foundational model for multilingual AI in Central Asia and plays a pivotal role in enabling language technologies that are inclusive and locally relevant.
Also, Yerbol explained how ISSAI uses supercomputers in its research (training models) and for KazLLM, in particular, as well as the principles and goals of having a supercomputer cluster in Kazakhstan and benefits of its utilization.
The panel also addressed broader societal questions, such as the implications of AI on digital equity, the accessibility of advanced technologies for rural communities, and how generative AI tools can empower both public and private sectors — as well as everyday users.
ISSAI actively supports initiatives that bring such timely and critical discussions into the public space, and remains committed to building a digital ecosystem where cutting-edge technologies are inclusive, ethical, and beneficial for all.
Full video is available on Qazaqstan TV’s YouTube channel.